


hey love, whoever got you got gold

by ghostblue



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, earth-prime wives in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 07:35:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22292365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostblue/pseuds/ghostblue
Summary: “We’re going to get through tonight, like the loving couple we apparently are, and then we're going to figure out how to stop my brother for good. Alright?” She punctuates her sentence with a single raised eyebrow and Kara gulps, realising exactly what Lena is proposing.They’re going to pretend to be together.Togethertogether.“Like a fake relationship?” she asks.“Yes.” Lena looks at her with a cool detached smile. “You’ve had some practice, this should be easy for you, right?”kara wakes up to an earth-prime that is full of surprises. a giant blue beebo, good guy lex luthor, and a wife...?
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 153
Kudos: 1480





	hey love, whoever got you got gold

**Author's Note:**

> alternative titles for this fic:
> 
> 1\. Murder on the Dance Floor  
> 2\. Stop Being Cute I'm Still Mad at You  
> 3\. Kara Danver's Irresistible Thighs  
>  _or _  
> 4\. It’s a Sex Thing__
> 
> full disclosure I have not seen the end of coie besides some spoilers so yall can pick and chew on whatever came from that shit storm. I have no concept of a timeline. we're on earth prime, but we diverge I guess before anyone gets their memories back. suspend your disbelief, kids, and enjoy this rough puff that i have not reread nor edited xoxo  
>   
> 

There’s a notification in her calendar when she checks her phone after the press conference. It’s a dinner, apparently, and Kara perks up at the thought. That’s one silver–lining she hadn’t considered. A whole new reality could bring a whole new bunch of restaurants, diners and _bistros_ –

She clicks on it with interest, hungry for any clues about life in this universe and immediately her mood turns sour again. _Lex’s celebratory fancy booze up!!!!!!_ is written in bold letters on her screen, along with the address to a banquet hall, and she grits her teeth, doing her very best not to crush her phone in one hand.

_Unbelievable._

Six exclamation marks! What kind of dumb Super was she in this world to trust Lex Luthor, and give him _six_ exclamation marks.

She reads it again, a frown setting into her forehead, and thinks, _screw this_. If she has to single–handedly prove to the world that Lex is a psychopath, then she will. She’ll go, crash the party, and find out exactly what Lex is trying to pull.

Her phone rings then, and she picks up without thinking.

“What?” She grunts.

_“Hey there, grumpy, what’s got you in a bad mood?”_

Kara groans inwardly. “I'm sorry, didn’t mean to snap.”

_“Did I catch you at a bad time?”_

“Yes. Well, no.” Kara squeezes her eyes shut. Keeping things from Alex has never really been her strong suit. “I'm sorry. I’m just stressed out with uh, with work. Yes. Work. This article I’m working on.”

_“You’ll be alright. You always feel rocky when you start your first draft, but they always turn out great. Besides, we can let of some steam tonight, yeah? Did you decide what you’re wearing yet?”_

Kara blinks. “You’re coming to the dinner?”

“ _Uh, yes? Kelly and I were gonna come, but she can’t make it because of a work do, so I’m just going to suffer through and third wheel with you, remember?”_ A pause _. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”_

_Third wheel?_

“Yup, yes.” Kara nods to herself. “Yes I’m alright, I just… forgot.”

 _“Okay then.”_ She can almost hear Alex’s frown. _“Anyway, are you going for the suit or the dress?”_

“Um, the suit?” Kara tries. Does she have a suit appropriate for a banquet? Alex apparently thinks so.

_“Good choice, I think it’ll definitely work best, power couple vibes and all. Anyway, I’ll meet you at the hall at 7? Don’t forget.”_

“Right, of course.”

_“Okay, weirdo, I’ve got to go, see you in a few hours.”_

“Bye,” she says and Alex hangs up.

 _Power couple._ What the hell was Alex talking about?

She rings J’onn next, feeling horribly out of depth without Alex on her side, and is incredibly relieved when she hears his voice, calm and measured, reassuring her that Lex is not Mr Good Guy and that his identity in this new reality is indeed completely fabricated. Then he tells her he’ll work on restoring the memories but he’s treading lightly because _Lex owns the DEO._

She almost laughs.

 _Almost_.

It seems like the cherry on top of the world’s worst ice cream sundae. They’re on their own, Lex is in control, he has the DEO under his thumb, _and_ access to probably one of the largest stockpiles of alien weaponry in the world.

Fantastic.

_“We’ll figure this out, Kara.”_

“How?” Kara tries not to whine. She’s supposed to be the Paragon of Hope, but right now each new reality is like a kick in the chest when they’re already down, and it feels like they’ve traded one crisis for another.

_“Go to the dinner like you were planning. See what you can find out. You’re a journalist, Kara. Investigate.”_

Easier said than done, though, because it turns out the Anti–Monitor is alive and still very much hell bent on world destruction, and the rest of Kara’s afternoon goes by in a blur. 

They do win, though, eventually.

The Paragons assemble, there's an adorable giant blue monster, a shrink bomb device, and a brand new table for them to hang around the next time the world is ending, and by the end of it all, Kara is exhausted, and running very _very_ late.

“Shoot,” she says, when she realises the time.

“You good?” It's Kate who asks, they're the last two left in the hanger after the rest of the heroes had departed for home.

“Yeah, just got a date with the devil,” Kara grumbles. With all the action she’d managed to forget that there was still a bad guy out there that needed dealing with. “Lex is here, I’m crashing his banquette tonight.”

“You need any back up?" Kate offers. "You know you don’t have to take down Lex alone.”

“I know,” Kara says. “But I think I’ll be alright tonight. Just a dinner, nothing too sinister. I’m going to go, keep a low profile and see what I can find out.”

Kate laughs. “Low profile? You should tell that to your scrunchy angry face."

"Hey!" Kara protests.

"I'm just saying, maybe you should start by not incinerating things on the on the spot whenever you hear his name. I know how much he gets to you.”

“He’s just hurt so many people!” Kara feels a rant building when she thinks about Lex's stupid dumb face. “He’s tried to kill me and Kal, and _Lena–”_

“Ah, there it is.”

Kara blushes at Kate’s knowing look. “Anyway,” she quickly moves on before they get into _that_ conversation again, “Maybe you could dig into Luthorcorp in the meantime? There’s bound to be some shady stuff hidden within the company, and the more information we have the better.”

Kate nods. “I’ll get on it,” she says. “Check in with me tonight, though? And if anything goes wrong–”

“I’ll call. Don’t worry.” Kara grins. “It’s good to have you here, Kate.”

Kate smiles in return. “Likewise. Now get out of here Supergirl, you’ve got a banquette to crash.”

After that she superspeeds back to her apartment to get ready for dinner and finds a suit hanging on back of her bathroom door, sheathed in a protective cover. She eyes it curiously, a little excited to see what kind of style earth-prime Kara is rocking, and unzips the bag in one fluid motion.

Her eyes go wide when she sees it, because it's _beautiful._

She drops the bag unceremoniously to the floor and marvels at the material under her fingertips, heavy and expensive feeling, a deep rich blue in colour with gold details, and a thought far more pressing and a little concerning comes to her, because she's no expert in fashion but she's not an idiot.

The suit is bespoke, coloured to match her eyes, and perfectly tailored to her measurements. 

_In what universe could she ever afford something like this?_

She lays it carefully out on her bed, and then flops down next to it and screams briefly into a pillow, getting the feeling that she’s missing something big, something _important,_ but can’t for the life of her figure out _what._

Her phone buzzes three times, and she realises that unless she gets a move on, she'll be late. She dresses quickly before flying over to the banquette hall with seconds to spare.

Alex meets her out front. “Looking good.” She smirks. “Told ya the suit was the right choice,” she says, and Kara belatedly realises that Alex _still_ doesn’t have her memories restored, but there’s no time to deal with that because they’re being ushered in to the building by Luthorcorp security guards, one of whom smiles brightly at Kara upon seeing her.

“Kara! Love the suit!” She says, and Kara splutters out a polite thanks to the woman she’s definitely never seen before, and then hurries into the building, feeling distinctly like she's entering the lion's den.

They wind up a grand staircase, along a wide ostentatious corridor and there at the end, pair of butlers open two huge doors to reveal the banquet hall. In true Lex Luthor style, the decoration is elaborate, bordering on pretentious, and Kara rolls her eyes as an over enthusiastic assistant greets them from behind a glass podium. “Ah! Ladies, if you’ll head straight through.” They're checked off the list and pointed to their table where Kara sees most of the seats are already taken by vaguely familiar faces. 

"Thanks," Alex says and gives the assistant a quick smile, and then pulls Kara into the hall. It's buzzing, the rich and famous all rubbing elbows, trading stories and laughing too loudly. Kara winces at the noise, and reminds herself to focus. She's here to investigate, and she runs through the list of questions she prepared that afternoon, wondering how much she can get away with asking before it comes off too much like an interview.

As they make their way to their table she scans the room for Lex, but stops short when she spots a familiar pair of shoulder. Pinched back, spine straight, sharp jawline to match.

_Lena._

Of course, she’d thought about the fact that Lena would be there. Lena of this world, with no memories of their friendship or her betrayal. Lena who might not even know who she _is._ But mostly she'd thought about a Lena who might have grown up with a brother who loves her and hasn’t tried to kill her on multiple occasions. Lena who grew up with the love she always deserved. 

Except, Kara takes one look at her and she knows that this isn’t a different Lena, it’s _her_ Lena.

There’s something about the way she’s stood, mingling in a circle of fancy people in fancy dress, holding the spine of her wine glass a little too tight, her eyes scanning the room with a calculated gaze like she’s searching for–

A figure blocks her line of sight, and Kara huffs in frustration before she realises she’s being pulled into a hug.

“Kara, sweetheart, it’s so good to see you.” Lillian Luthor’s voice vibrates low and rich in her ear, and Kara nearly recoils, saved only by Lillian pulling back herself to run her eyes up and down her body. “My, this suit certainly is handsome. Lena always has had an eye for fashion, don’t you think?” She says, but doesn’t wait for a response, instead sweeps Alex into a hug, allowing Kara to attempt to restart her brain. _What the fuck-_ “So glad you could make it, Alex. Lex told me Kelly got caught up but we could expect you still.”

“Hello, Mrs Luthor, it’s a beautiful gathering you’ve got here,” Alex gushes, and Kara all but gapes at her sister, who's turned into a blushing mess.

“Oh, Alex please, how many times have I told you to call me Lillian.”

Kara has trouble focusing on their conversation, feeling like she’s entered the twilight zone and still reeling from the downright _warm_ embrace Lena’s mother just gave her. But it makes sense, she supposes. In a world where Lex isn’t the bad guy, then Lillian isn’t a villain either, just an overbearing mother, putting the weight of the world on her children’s shoulders.

Lillian eventually excuses herself, although not before giving Kara a curious once over, but Kara barely notices, instead finds herself immediately searching for Lena again in the crowd only to find Lena already staring straight back at her.

That’s all it takes, it seems. One look, and Kara can tell that she knows that Kara knows. Maybe Lena figured it out from her reaction to Lillian or maybe she’d seen something else, but either way, _Lena knows._

“Geez,” Alex waves her hand in front of her face. “What is wrong with you today?” She asks, prodding her arm, and when Kara doesn’t respond, she follows her gaze a few tables over to where Lena is staring back in their direction. “Ah," Alex snorts. "You’d think by now that you two would be over the whole eye sex thing, and yet…”

_Wait–_

“What?”

 _Eye sex?_

She hadn’t been– she’d just been looking at Lena. Like a normal person would look at their ex–best friend after betraying their trust and then thinking they were dead for months.

Normal.

Very normally.

“Whatever, come on. Let’s sit down, I’m starving.” Alex says, and nudges Kara in the direction of their table. “She’ll join us in a minute.”

_She’ll join us._

Oh _god._ Would Lena be sitting with them? Kara takes her seat and then keeps her hands in her lap to avoid crushing any of the cutlery in distress and relies Alex do all the small talk as she introduces herself to the people around them.

It's not long though before Alex looks up and says, “Hey, Lena. How’s it going?” And Kara pretty much stops breathing.

“Alex,” Lena’s voice comes from over Kara’s shoulder, cool and throaty, but not hostile, and Kara relaxes minutely. _Lena’s playing along._ “I’m good, thank you,” Lena says, and takes a seat on the other side of Kara. “Yourself?”

Kara’s head turns like a plant following the path of the sun, and she comes face to face with Lena and just _breathes_ her in. She hadn’t realised just how much she had missed her, and embarrassingly she feels her eyes welling up a little. Lena resolutely ignores her though, her attention focused on Alex, giving nothing away.

“I’m great, thanks. This place is amazing by the way. Did you have a hand in organising the event?” Alex carries on, oblivious.

Lena laughs, and Kara can pick out the slight strain in her voice. “No, it was all Lex.”

“Well,” Alex says. “You must be proud of him.”

The only indication that Lena’s uncomfortable with the remark comes from the slight twitch of her lips before she answers. “Very,” she says, and then relaxes slightly as a woman arrives to take the seat on the other side of Alex, and draws her attention away.

Kara realises that this is it, this is her _chance_ , and her heart thumps faster, senses completely overwhelmed by having Lena in her space again after so long. But Lena still doesn’t look at her, instead, pulls her napkin out of the ring holder and unfolds it carefully across her lap, straightens out some of the cutlery. “Supergirl,” she says, in a low voice.

“Hey, Lena,” Kara manages, glad she managed to get her tear ducts under control. She wrings her fingers together as Lena finally looks up at Kara's greeting and gives her a once over.

She blinks. “That suit...”

“Uh, yes?”

“It's- that's-” Lena’s lost her disaffected tone, and now reaches out as if to smooth her lapel before she catches herself and pulls back. “Hand tailored, bespoke design…The sketches have been sitting in my inbox for a few weeks now. I always thought that you'd-” Lena looks at her in confusion, her eyes narrowing. “How on earth did you–”

“So here’s the thing, Lena,” Kara interrupts quickly, and then barrels on when Lena raises an incredulous eyebrow at her interruption. “I really don’t think that my suit matters right now. I think what matters is your _brother_ and whatever the hell–”

“Don’t get brash with me, Supergirl,” Lena snaps, poised to fight, but then–

“Hey, lovebirds, keep the volume down would you?” Alex butts in, her voice chipped and careful under her breath. “Also, why are you calling her Supergirl and not Kara?” A slight pause. “Oh my god, is this some kind of sex thing?”

“Alex!” Kara splutters in shock. On the one hand, she's relieved to hear that apparently this world’s Lena already knows and is okay with the whole _Supergirl thing_ , but on the other–

_A sex thing!?_

Beside her, Lena’s face contorts.

“Wait, don’t answer that I really don’t want to know,” Alex groans, oblivious to the panic she’s caused. She reaches for her drink to take an unhealthily large gulp and Lena breaks out of her reverie to do the same. “I’m blaming Lex for seating me next to you freaks.”

Lena tosses back her scotch, and stares off to the side, fingers white knuckling the empty glass and Kara recognises the face she’s pulling as her genius brain working overtime. Except, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that–

A hand drops down to rest on her thigh, warm and firm, and Kara’s brain promptly empties of all rational thought.

Lena’s touching her, for the first time in _months,_ and she feels–

A squeeze, a little to hard to be friendly, and then there’s a voice in her ear, low and controlled. “Would you accompany me to the restroom, darling, I need your help with something.”

Kara flushes, fully aware that Lena’s putting on a show so that they can get away from their table without raising suspicion, but unable think past the heat of Lena’s palm, far too high up on her thigh for her to concentrate fully.

Alex’s retching noise thankfully jolts her back to her senses.

“Please, get out of here, you horndogs. Just make sure you’re back in time for the starter.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Kara answers, voice strained. She stands up, instinctively offering her hand to Lena and Lena’s eyes flicker for a second before she relents and accepts.

Lena leads them to a low corridor at the back of the hall, then tries the nearest door handle, making a relieved noise when it opens without resistance.

“Well?” Lena holds her arm out in invitation.

“Oh, you were serious about the restroom thing?”

“Get inside, Supergirl,” Lena whispers harshly, so Kara does what she’s told and steps into the room, the lock clicking into place behind her.

“So,” Kara starts. Clears her throat. Rocks up onto her tiptoes and back down again. “Hi?”

Lena glares at her, and then begins pacing around the very fancy spacious bathroom, throwing her clutch bag onto the god honest red velvet lounge chair that sits in the corner.

“Lena?”

Lena ignores her. “This cannot be happening,” she says to herself.

“Um, just to make sure we’re on the same page here. You’re not from this brainwashed universe, right? You’re my Lena, and you remember that your brother is a homicidal maniac and not–”

“A Nobel fucking peace prize winner?” Lena interrupts her. “Yes, I’m – it’s me.”

Kara exhales, overwhelmingly relieved that she’s not alone in this tonight, and that it’s _Lena_ who is there with her. There are definitely tears of relief forming in her eyes again and Lena gives her a sharp look like she knows Kara's about to say something sappy.

“Don’t.” Lena holds up her hand. “Don’t give me that look. We really don’t have time for this, not when my brother is out there plotting whatever it is he’s plotting.”

Kara nods, Lena is right, their baggage can be dealt with later. “So you don’t know what he’s up to?” She asks.

“No, Supergirl.” Lena rolls her eyes. “You might be surprised to find that after I shot him in his previous life, Lex hasn’t felt the need to reveal all his villainous plans to me. I woke up, to find _him_ , alive and smug, and apparently doing very well for himself in this universe. He filled me in on some vague details about the crisis and then he went off on a cute little ‘ _we can rule the world, imagine what we could do together’_ speech.” She stops pacing, coming to a halt before the sink. “I came tonight to try and figure out what he’s planning. Figure out if there was anyone else who knew what I did.” She looks over at Kara then, and Kara sees that there is that same relief she felt upon realising she wasn’t alone, hidden under layers of spiky anger and frustration. “I am glad.” Lena hesitates. “That you’re here, I mean. Even if only to fling Lex into space and be done with it.”

Kara laughs. “Well, I’m not opposed to that plan.”

Lena hums. “But he’s up to something bigger.”

“He’s had a plan from the very beginning,” Kara agrees. “Right at the start when the Monitor brought him back. And now he has reinvented himself in this world, and has his fingers back in all the pies. This is _dangerous_ , Lena. He’s had time to plan whatever this is. He's like, a hundred steps ahead right now.”

“I know.” Lena’s expression is stormy. “We need to restore everyone’s memories, somehow, but neutralise Lex first. He won’t react kindly to us trying to take away his new life as a beloved hero.”

“J’onn thinks he can help with the memory restoration, although I’d have to talk to him about the scale of this all. And the DEO–”

“The DEO is useless. It’s in Lex’s pocket now.”

“Right, yeah.” Kara deflates. “Gosh I wish Alex could remember everything. She’d have a plan for all this.”

Lena laughs. “Yes, instead your sister is out there gushing about my genius brother and making crude remarks about our–” Lena stops short, and Kara looks up sharply.

“Our relationship,” Kara finishes for her, because apparently she's the one who's going to be brave right now.

Lena scoffs immediately. “We don’t have a relationship.”

“I think we do.”

“We do not, Supergirl.”

“Yes we _do,_ Lena.” Kara finds herself oddly defensive over this– this fake real _thing_ that the Kara and Lena of this world apparently have.

Lena flounders. “There’s no proof of that.”

“So everything that Alex said–”

“Alex’s memories aren’t real.”

“Maybe not _Alex_ Alex, but in this world, it’s real. And apparently, we’re _something_ ,” Kara says, exasperated. “I’m wearing a suit that I’m pretty sure _you_ bought and had made for me because I sure as hell can’t afford this, your mother gave me an actual hug and called me _sweetheart_ earlier, and if all of that wasn’t proof enough, why else would Alex think that we–” she falters, realising where exactly she’s headed and quickly loses all her bravado. “That we do…um. That we–”

Lena laughs at her then, her glare lessening in favour of a different kind of look. “What? That we have hot kinky sex?” She asks, taking a step forward that could only be considered as sultry _._

“Uh–” Kara chokes out, but Lena blinks and her gaze loses it’s heat. She shakes her head.

“Listen, if Lex thinks he can rewrite this universe and break me all over again with _you_ , then frankly, he’s got another thing coming.”

“We don’t know that he’s responsible for the _us_ thing.” Kara tries reasoning, not liking the determined glint in Lena's eyes.

“I don’t care,” Lena mutters, stalking over to her abandoned clutch bag to rifle through it. She pulls out her lipstick and walks back to the mirror, flexing her jaw in a way that makes Kara feel a little like jelly on the inside. “I’ll be damned if I let Lex have all the glory tonight,” she says, and leans forward to apply a fresh coat to her lips, muttering something that sounds like _fucking Nobel peace prize my ass,_ under her breath.

When she turns to Kara again there’s a strange look on her face, like she's accepted her fate and is ready to wield it in her favour. Kara feels an uneasy dread building in her stomach. “We’re going to get through tonight, like the _loving_ couple we apparently are, and then we're going to figure out how to stop my brother for good. Alright?” She punctuates her sentence with a single raised eyebrow and Kara gulps, realising exactly what Lena is proposing.

They’re going to pretend to be together.

 _Together_ together.

“Like a fake relationship?” She asks.

“Yes.” Lena looks her with a cool detached smile. “You’ve had some practice, this should be easy for you, right?”

“Lena,” Kara tries to protest, to apologise, to say _something_ to get her to forgive her. But Lena doesn’t wait, just strides out of the restroom without looking back.

Facing the end of the multi–verse was _definitely_ easier than this.

The starter course is laid out on the table by the time they make it back to their seats and Alex glares at them as they take their places. “Really?” Alex hisses. “You left me alone to fend for myself for twenty minutes _.”_

“Sorry,” Kara’s voice is high and shrill, because Lena has shuffled her chair closer and now drapes her arm across the back of Kara’s shoulders.

“Yes, sorry, Alex.” Lena’s smile is dangerous. “Couldn’t be helped. Your sister just looks absolutely _edible_ in this suit.”

“Oh my god, _please,_ enough already.” Alex goes for her drink, only to find it empty, and immediately tries to attract the attention of a waiter. “I get it, you’re happily married and disgustingly horny, _still,_ after all these years. As your sister in law, I’m begging you, please, let me live tonight.”

Kara’s jaw drops open.

Alex definitely just said–

_Married._

“What’s wrong with you?” Alex gives her a weird look. “You look like you forgot you were pretty much hitched to the richest lesbian bachelorette in America from the moment you interviewed her.”

Kara’s jaw drops even further, if that’s possible, as Alex picks up a name card from the table and waves in in her face. “Earth to Kara Luthor–Danvers?” And oh _god,_ there’s her name printed in elegant script except that it says _Kara Luthor–Danvers_ and apparently she completely missed that earlier because she was so stressed about seeing Lena.

Lena, to whom she is married.

Because in this reality, they’re the _Luthor–Danvers._

And she’s _married._

To Lena.

_Lena’s her wife._

It’s Lena who comes to her rescue, recovering faster than Kara. She leans back, the weight of her arm resting on Kara’s shoulder firm and grounding, and she winks smoothly at Alex. “She’s just recovering from our little dalliance in the bathroom, don’t mind her.”

“Lena, I swear I will swap seats with your mother,” Alex groans, suitably distracted again.

“Finally a real threat,” Lena says with a laugh, and mock whispers, “Fine, Alex. I’ll leave you be for now, but I make no promises after I’ve had dessert.”

Alex rolls her eyes and then her face lights up as their waiter returns with a fresh drink for her. Lena takes the opportunity to retract her arm and settles it in her own lap, but not before giving one of Kara’s hands a squeeze. “Breathe. You’re bending the fork,” she says quietly into Kara’s ear, and Kara nods.

“Right, gosh, I’m sorry.” She hadn’t even noticed she had picked it up.

“Please,” Lena brushes her off. “I couldn’t care less about the silverware. Just relax, and try to look less like someone’s tased you every time we touch.”

Kara cringes. She had hoped Lena wouldn’t notice how jumpy she was. “Yes. Right, got it.”

“Come on, _hubby_ , try some of this obnoxious food that’s far too small a portion on far too large a plate.” Kara looks at her, incredulous at how nonplussed Lena appears to be at finding out that they’re _married_ , and of course, Lena reads her mind. “I’m a Luthor. I’ve learned to roll with the punches.” She shrugs. “Besides, I’m used to being blindsided. Why not add a Super marriage to this fucking mess.”

“Lena,” Kara whispers, pained, but Lena shakes her head, her jaw clenching and her voice dark.

“No. Don’t try and fix this. This changes nothing about us or our friendship.” She picks up her drink, a picture of composure. “When Lex comes to find us tonight, and he will, because if I know my brother then the entire point of this soiree is to _gloat_ , then I want us to look like we’re having the time of our lives, and that we couldn’t care less about his smarmy act.” Lena takes a sip of her scotch and levels Kara with an unsympathetic look. “I won’t have your bleeding heart mess this up. Got it?”

Kara nods and swallows hard, bottling up her anguish, because Lena is being blunt and _mean_ , and she’s still so obviously angry, but–

Kara can’t help but feel a little happy. She's also _talking_ to her, and they’re working as a team and they’re in this together, and to be honest, right now she can’t get beyond the fact that apparently, that’s her _wife._

She does relax, eventually. In fact, it’s almost too easy to pretend that everything is okay, once she picks up her slightly dented fork and digs in to the fancy food and strikes up small talk across the table. Lena is in her element here, charming and graceful, asking all the right questions and nodding in all the right places. She spends the whole night leaning against Kara’s arm, laughing at all her awfully dorky jokes, dropping her hand onto her upper thigh whenever she leans closer to whisper in Kara’s ear, and Kara starts to wonder what exactly is so bad about a world where Lex Luthor is a good guy.

The two of them are deeply engaged in a conversation about a theoretical physics with one of the young women who works in a Luthorcorp lab when the elderly lady across from Alex interrupts them.

“So, come on then newlyweds, enough of all this science talk. Tell us the story of how you met.”

It’s Alex who responds first. “They’re not newlyweds,” she laughs, and a murmur of surprise goes around the table. “It’s been what? Three and a half years? They’re just so horribly in love that they always act like this.”

Kara instantly feels her cheeks heating up under the attention.

“But all the blushing and the heartache?” The woman, Joan, Kara thinks, looks bemused. “The two of you, it’s like watching a couple on a first date.”

“What!” Kara’s laugh is high and wobbly. “That’s crazy, that’s– I mean– Lena and I–”

Lena jumps in and saves her, _again_ , her hand resting reassuringly on Kara’s thigh. “It’s just always been like that for us.” She looks around the table, and gives Joan a shy sort of smile. “I mean, you’ve met her, can you blame me?” Lena says, and Kara turns to her in shock, wondering how much of an act Lena is putting on right now, but Lena refuses to look back at her.

“That’s it, right there!” Joan says, and she gives a hearty laugh. “That look.”

Kara blinks, not realising she was giving Lena any kind of look at all. “She’s my best friend,” she hears herself say. “With her, it’s always been…” she trails off.

“Different,” Lena says quietly, and _god,_ Lena’s looking at her now and has it really always been like this? She thinks back over the years and tries to pinpoint when Lena went from being her friend and her ally to something bigger and more important.

Something _else_.

“So, how _did_ you meet?” One of the annoying businessmen who’s sat at their table pipes up, dropping them a lewd wink.

“She interviewed me,” Lena says, not sparing the man a glance, instead looking over at Joan. “Then came back for a follow up article, and well, I guess that was that?”

“That simple?” Joan asks. "Come on, dear, you've got to give us more than that."

“Well,” Lena shrugs, self–depreciatingly, settling into her story as the whole table hangs on her every word. “I was new to the city, coming here to set up a new branch of L–Cor, I mean, Luthorcorp, and I didn’t have any friends in town. Kara offered to show me around.”

“And did you? _Show her around_ I mean?” The same sleazy guy asks, and Kara tenses, ready to say something to this asshole about his table manners until she feels Lena rubs her thumb back and forth on Kara’s leg, telling her not to bother.

“No, actually,” Kara says, relaxing into Lena’s touch. “Not straight away, at least.” She takes Lena’s hand in her own and turns to her with a mischievous smile, deciding two can play this game. “In fact, I seem to remember I offered, and you shot me down right off the bat. Something about me getting the completely wrong idea about our relationship? That you weren’t there to make friends?” Kara teases and the table murmurs _oooh_ in surprise.

Lena rolls her eyes, playing to the crowd. “You have to understand, I was setting up a fortune 500 company, and out of nowhere there was this charming blue–eyed reporter sniffing around, asking me if I wanted come to her sister’s game night.I was right to be suspicious.”

“You think I’m charming?” Kara interjects, with a grin, and Lena let’s go of her hand to push at her shoulder.

“I think you’re insufferable,” Lena says, and there’s a warm chuckle from the table.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Kara continues, “I’d left a standing invitation, but to be honest I’d sort of given up on the whole thing after such a frosty reception, you know? But then I ran into her in one of my favourite bistros that next week and... I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I just knew.”

“Knew what?” Joan asks, leaning forward on her elbows, engrossed in their story.

“That I couldn't walk out of there without trying one more time,” Kara says, trying her best not to blush too hard. “That simple.”

“And it worked?” Someone asks.

“Well, I said my piece, and Lena basically said thanks but no thanks-” a scoff from beside her, and a laugh from the table follow, “-and then to top it all off, Alex cancelled on me and I was going to be left sitting alone and ordering every single appetiser on the menu and eating away all my feelings, but at the last second Lena changed her mind and asked me to join her.”

Lena looks at her then, her a peculiar expression on her face and she murmurs, “How could I not?”

There’s a smattering of _aws_ from around the table, except for Alex, who mutters, “Idiots,” albeit with a fond smile. “What I’m hearing from that story, though, is that you two wouldn’t have gotten together if it weren’t for me, so, you’re welcome.”

Kara drags her gaze away from Lena, the spell broken. “Sure, Alex.” She nudges her sister. "Thanks.”

The conversation diverges after that, everyone else offering up their meet–cute stories, and Kara dares to hazard a look at Lena again. She’s staring off into the distance, her face unreadable and closed off. “Was that okay?” Kara risks asking, quietly. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Lena shakes her head, still looking away. “It was fine," she says and takes a sip from her glass. Then adds, “Dessert is about to be served." Effectively ending that conversation.

Kara’s three forkfuls into her second cheesecake, or, well, Lena’s cheesecake that she hadn’t wanted, and going over every word Lena has said in the past couple of hours when a cheer goes up through the crowd and Lex Luthor strolls in. Lena stills beside her, her heartbeat creeping up a notch, and Kara feels that familiar heat behind her eyes that seems to react in Lena’s defence, and has to force a couple of deep breaths to calm down.

Lex takes to the small stage at the front of the room, holding his hands up for quiet. “I’m sorry I couldn’t join you all for dinner,” he starts, once the clamouring has died down, and Lena mutters something expletive under her breath. “I was kept away by work, you know how it is, saving the world,” he winks, pausing for the crowd to laugh, and it’s Kara’s turn to grumble something unpleasant in response. “Anyway, I’ll keep this short and sweet, because I know how much we’re all looking forward to the live band that will be up next. I just couldn’t possibly end the night without a few words of thanks.” Lex pauses, and looks around the room. “This prize may have my name on it, but it is not mine. It’s ours. All of us. My work is your work, and is first and foremost a testimony of your support.

Luthorcorp is exactly what _you_ have made it, and for that I am forever grateful, thank you.” He holds for applause, a slow smile forming on his lips as he finds Kara in the crowd and she has to stop herself from tackling him off the stage in front of everyone. “And lastly before I let you all enjoy tonight,” his eyes flicker, landing on Lena, and Kara tenses for the worst. “To my little sister, Lena. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Lex smiles, and the room raises their glasses in cheers.

The rest of his pleasantries are drowned out, and Kara zones in on the angry pounding of Lena’s heart, unable to imagine what she’s feeling right now.

“Lena?” She tries gently, but Lena doesn’t respond, her eyes locked on Lex where he’s down from the stage and started to make his rounds around the tables.

Somewhere in the background the live band strikes up a soft tune, and Kara makes a decision.

She leans closer. “Hey, Lena,” she murmurs into Lena’s ear, breaking her trance. “Dance with me?” 

Lena stares at her for a moment, and then nods and stands abruptly, allowing Kara to lead her to the dance floor. 

“Full disclosure, I don’t actually know how to dance,” Kara says, as she steps forward. 

Lena doesn't deign to reply, just shifts Kara's hands about until they settle comfortably around her waist, and closes the distance Kara was too afraid to close.

"Um, I just mean, I'm sorry if I accidentally step on your toes," she says, and Lena hums, her arms resting lightly on Kara's shoulders. "I just thought you looked rather murderous, and that dancing might help, you know, avoid that.”

That seems to get Lena's attention, and she laughs sharply. “I want to kill him,” she says flippantly, shifting closer, and shivering slightly as Kara’s fingers brush across the bare skin of her back.

Kara nods, a little distracted now that they're so close. Lena's warm against her, and Kara breathes in the smell of her perfume. “Yep, me too,” she agrees, giving up trying to move her feet, and instead settling with swaying them slowly side to side, Lena preoccupied enough to let her lead.

“Smug bastard." Lena says. "I can't believe he thanked me.”

“Yes, definitely a bastard,” Kara repeats, shifting closer again, Lena unconsciously copying her movements.

“And making us suffer through a whole evening, just to turn up at the end with a shitty speech?”

“Very shitty,” Kara agrees.

“I hate him," Lena says. "He's so–” Lena falters, shuddering slightly as Kara’s breath warms her neck. “What are - what are you doing?” She asks, her voice soft.

“Sorry.” Kara bites her lip. “You smell good,” she murmurs, and Lena pulls back.

She gives Kara a strange look. "You can't just _say_ things like that, you _-"_ but before she can finish, her eyes focus in on something behind Kara, and her face goes back to being murderous–y.

Kara snaps out of her Lena induced haze, of wondering what exactly Lena was about to say, and she turns them to the side so that she can confirm her fear.

_Lex._

It looks like he's finally finished schmoozing round the guests, and is heading straight for them.

“Lena, whatever you’re thinking, he’s not worth it.” Lena doesn’t have a weapon on her, she knows. There’s nowhere she could possibly hide one in the dress she’s wearing, but she knows the woman packs a killer heel and doesn’t put it past her genius best friend to find some other way to murder her brother on the dance floor. “We’ve got to keep a low profile whilst we’re still playing catch up,” she says.

But Lex reaches the edge of the floor and Lena growls, “I don’t fucking think so," and then–

_Then–_

Lena kisses her.

Kara’s so shocked that she doesn’t kiss back for a full second, until Lena’s fingers slide up the back of her neck to tangle in her hair and coax her closer and Kara lets herself go.

She’s not sure how long they kiss for, only that eventually there’s a yell of _get a room!_ from across the hall that is _definitely_ Alex, and then the band changes song and Lena pulls back with a soft gasp.

“Oh,” Lena says, and Kara can only stare, lost in that _kiss._

Lena’s lipstick is smudged where Kara’s mouth has been, so she brings her thumb up to wipe away the smears, which is her first post–kiss mistake. Her second is her damned super hearing that picks up the hitch in Lena’s breath as Kara presses her thumb against her lip. And her third?

Well.

She doesn’t know who moves first, but then they’re kissing again and, _gosh,_ Lena is so warm and she’s making these noises at the back of her throat, her nails scratching the base of Kara’s neck and it feels _good._ It feels right, and _real,_ except–

A man clears his throat beside them and they both pull back. “Excuse me, but this is a dance floor." He sneers at them. "If could take your side show elsewhere?”

Lena, thoroughly kissed and appropriately dazed, rounds on the gentleman with a signature Luthor glare. “How about you remember who exactly you’re talking to, and take your insolent ass elsewhere before I have security remove you? Hmm?” She says, tilting her head to one side, watching with a pleased smile as the man turns beet red and backs away from them, fury on his face.

When Lena turns back to her the smile is still in place, but then almost as quickly as it came, it’s gone, and she looks hurriedly back to where Lex had been moments before.

“Your brother’s gone,” Kara says, still a little breathless, but Lena doesn’t respond, her expression turning blank, defences slamming back down.

_Fuck that._

Kara’s not going to let them carry on like nothing has happened, not now that she knows what Lena tastes like, how Lena feels under her lips. She grabs Lena’s hand and ignores her surprised yelp as she pulls her towards the edge of the room where huge billowing curtains frame a large balcony that runs the length of the hall. She pushes open the doors, making sure they’re alone before ushering Lena outside.

The doors shut behind them, the noise of the banquette filtering out to a muffled murmur and Kara feels reality set back in. 

Neither of them speak at first. Lena has gone dead still, looking out at the city before them, and Kara stays quiet, listening to the sound of Lena breathing until she can’t bare it any longer.

“So, we need to talk, right? Like, what was– what–” Kara tries to find words but she can’t escape the feeling of _Lena_ , hands running with intent up and down her neck, lips ever so soft and warm, licking into her mouth like _fire–_

“I’m sorry.” Lena breaks her silence and turns around, and Kara realises that Lena’s hands are now shaking, her face pale, and she looks like she’s about to vomit. “I should have asked you before I–” Lena trembles, arms wrapping tight around her body. “I didn’t mean to kiss you without your consent, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Kara reassures her. “Caught me by surprise, that’s all." She tries to joke but it falls flat. "Besides, you weren’t the only one, um, taking part?”

Lena nods in relief, her eyes wet. “I was just so angry with him after that self–righteous speech about Luthorcorp. _His_ company, _his_ legacy for good. I just couldn’t stand it, knowing what we know.” She shudders, shivering in the chilled evening air and spiralling deeper into a panic attack. “And then there he was walking towards us, and he looked at me like he’d _won._ Like he’d saddled me with heartbreak and grief, and I had to– I couldn’t–” Lena chokes and Kara steps closer slowly, approaching Lena like she might a wild animal. 

“It’s okay, Lena.”

“It’s not.” Lena’s tears spill, and she looks up. “I’ve fucked up so badly,” she says, and Kara steps further forward, shaking her head only to stop when Lena places a cold hand on her forearm. “With you, I mean. I fucked up so badly with you, Kara. Oh gosh.” She hiccups, and laughs. “He was dead. He was gone, and I thought I could finally put the nightmare of my name to behind me and then I went and almost–” Lena stops, shutting her eyes. “I hurt people. I hurt you. And then, to top it all off, we're in a brand new reality and we're _married."_ She laughs again. "I know that in this world things must be different, but this is us, right here, right now. We have to live with this, and after all of the things I’ve done to hurt you– you’re stuck with me. 'til death do us part. _”_ Lena shudders again and Kara watches her with a sad smile, taking Lena's hands in her own and holding them tight. “We’re _married_.” Lena repeats, eyes wide and afraid.

She looks so small in that moment, so unsure that she could ever be loved by Kara, and so Kara takes a deep, deep breath.

“Is that so hard to believe?” She asks. “That I’d marry you?”

Lena’s eyes snap up to hers, flickering with an emotion Kara can’t decipher.

“You…?” 

Kara shrugs, smiles, thinks about meet–cutes, and standing offers, and _hope_ , and that terrible beautiful certainty she’d felt in that first minute they’d met.

“How could I not?”

“Oh,” Lena exhales, like that might be enough, like after all of this–

“I meant what I said earlier. Every word.” Kara shrugs off her suit jacket and drapes it around Lena’s shoulders.

“Me too,” Lena admits, begrudgingly, murmuring a quiet _thanks,_ pulling the jacket close around her. 

“Okay, then.” She bites her lip, feeling light and hopeful. “You wanna get out of here?” 

“Why, Mrs Luthor–Danvers, aren’t you bold for a first date." Lena's smile is teasing.

Kara blushes. “Not like that! Not that I don't- that I wouldn't- that is- I just think we could do with some sleep before we tackle this new world. Or maybe some actual food that doesn’t come in stupid baby sized portions. How about a Chinese take away, or an extra large pizza!” Kara grins, excitedly, nerves ebbing away the more Lena looks at her with those warm warm eyes. “We can grab some on the way home and then spend the night seeing what crappy tv shows they have on this earth. We’ll call J’onn in the morning, get everyone’s memories back, and then kick Lex’s ass once and for all.”

Lena stares at her with a fond expression. “How do you do that?” She asks, quiet and wondrous.

“Do what?”

Lena shakes her head. “Nothing,” she says, then, “I’m in. Takeaway and trash tv sounds really good right now.”

“Yeah?” Kara asks, and smiles, because Lena’s looking at her with smudged lipstick and runny mascara, and she’s saying _yes._

“Yeah,” Lena says. “Let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Some things.  
> NO it isn't bias to put the journalist who is the nobel peace prize winner's sister's wife on said article, YES it's considered crashing the party even if you were invited if u hate the person who invited u and think he's a big meanie, YES they're married and obviously live together but Kara didn't notice the difference in her apartment bc like .. lena's shit is everywhere at kara's place bc they were basically living with e/o on earth-38 pre-reveal and they just didn't realise they were wives, YES kara forgets she's there to investigate and snoop as soon as she sees lena in a ballroom gown, YES lena googles herself and kara on the way back from the bathroom and sees that theyre married and is like huh alright well done lesbian, and YES they fly off that balcony, grab take out and ice cream and are two episodes into some alternate reality version of storage lockers when they realise they ditched alex at the banquet but it's ok bc she just assumed they were going at it in some broom closet somewhere god bless good night


End file.
